Recovery
by WilliamsJ13
Summary: How does Leanne rebuild her life after the accident that cost her everything? How did she become the Leanne that we see in the series?
1. Waking Up

**Chapter One**

 **I decided to write a longer Code Black story based around Leanne's accident and her recovery, with eventual Leanne/Neal. I hope you enjoy and please favourite or leave a review if you would be interested in more.**

She couldn't describe the pain she was in. It was like her body wasn't hers anymore: it felt unfamiliar, heavy, like someone had place a large weight on top of her lower body trapping her wherever she was. Groaning, she slowly attempted to open her eyes, her fingers moving across the soft material that was wrapped around her body. Where was she? Why did it hurt so much?

"Leanne," a voice said, a small moan leaving her lips at the noise. It was too loud. "Leanne, it's Jesse," the voice repeated, slightly quieter this time while something brushed across her forehead. "Don't try and move too much," the voice claiming to be Jesse whispered, his tone desperately trying to sound comforting.

"Where am…?" she croaked, her throat dry as the words left her lips. She physically couldn't say the rest of the sentence, it was too painful.

"You're in Angels Leanne, you were in an accident," Jesse's voice responded as she attempted to open her eyes but quickly closed them. The room was too bright, it hurt her eyes. "Do you want me to turn the light off?" he asked, noticing the grimace on her face, her head nodding slightly before she heard the chair he must have been sitting in move and the click of the light switch. "There, do you want to try again?" Jesse asked again, his footsteps getting louder as he moved his way back towards the bed, his hand touching hers. Opening her eyes again slowly, Leanne groaned again as she looked at the dark space.

"Jesse," she whispered again, turning her head slightly, pain shooting through her body again at the movement. "Jesse, she said again, the nurse leaning forward as his smile grew; his hand reaching out to brush his fingers across her cheek. "An accident?" she asked quietly, suddenly remembering what he had said. What accident?

"You were in a car accident," Jesse whispered, his fingers continuing to run down her cheek as she stared at him blankly. A car accident? How? Where? "Leanne, I'm so sorry," Jesse whispered, his composure breaking as tears began to run down his cheeks.

"Jesse?" she asked again, her throat burning while her hand reached up to grasp his; a stinging pain shooting through her arm as she gripped his hand. Why was he apologising? She was alive, she was safe, there was no reason for him to apologise. He hadn't been driving her car, there wasn't a scratch on him to indicate that he'd been in the car with her. "Jesse…" she whispered, feeling her heart drop in realisation. "Who was in the car?" she asked quietly.

"Leanne," Jesse begged, seeing her tense as the tears began to appear in her eyes.

"Where are my children?" she questioned, ignoring the pain in her body. "Where are my babies Jesse?" she sobbed, knowing the answer to her own question when he glanced down at his lap briefly before looking at her. "Oh god," Leanne whispered, feeling the nausea rising in her body. "My babies," Leanne sobbed, her free hand unconsciously moving to rest again her abdomen. Her beautiful babies were gone. Her beautiful children who had barely lived their lives, who had never done anything to harm anyone. How could they be gone? "Where's James?" she asked quietly. Why hadn't she thought about her husband? Her loving husband who had always been at her side. Where was he? "Please not him too," she begged, the tears streaming down her face as she continued to cling to Jesse's hand.

"I'm sorry Leanne," the nurse stated.

"Tell me," she begged, the pain getting worse. "Jesse, tell me what happened to my husband and my children now," the doctor shouted, groaning at the pain in her throat as Jesse moved to rest on the edge of her bed before running his fingers across her face to brush the tears away. "Tell me everything now," she ordered.

"Leanne," he warned, aware that her monitor was beginning to beep louder. "Leanne, you need to stay still, you've had serious surgery," Jesse warned, glancing down at the various casts and bandages that covered her skin.

"Don't tell me to stay still Jesse. Everyone is gone, my husband is dead, my babies are lying in the morgue," she declared, attempting to move away from him as he sighed and moved his hands from her body. "What happened to my family?" Breathing out, Jesse ran his fingers through his hair nervously before looking down at his friend as she continued to stare at him from the bed. "Please," she finally whispered, his head shaking as she slowly reached across and took his hand. "Were they alone when they…?" she asked quietly, his head shaking again while a sad smile nervously covered his face.

"Rollie was with James," Jesse finally admitted, remembering the frustrated and devastated face that had covered his colleague's face when he had stormed past Jesse to assist with Leanne. Leanne's husband had died within minutes of arriving at Angels. "I was with Caitlyn," Jesse whispered, wishing that he didn't have to remember the tiny girl's body lying in the middle of centre stage. He had been there when she was born, had been the first person to hold her other than her parents and he had clung onto her hand when she had slipped away. "She was so brave Leanne," he admitted, remembering how tiny her hand had felt in his.

"And Alex?" she whispered, her voice breaking when she said her son's name.

"Neal was there," Jesse whispered, remembering the shouts that had radiated around centre stage as Neal had desperately tried to save Leanne's youngest boy. Jesse could remember the boy's screams and the sight of the tiny hand clutching onto Neal's scrubs in fear and pain. He could also remember the tears that had run down Neal's face when he had pronounced time of death and had almost collapsed beside the hospital bed. "We did everything we could, I promise you."

"I don't doubt that," she whispered, her eyes closing before she groaned at the loud knock at the door. Hearing the door squeak open, Leanne bit into her lip in pain when Jesse gently squeezed her head.

"Leanne," another male voice whispered, footsteps moving towards the bed as the brunette forced herself to open her eyes again.

"Neal," Leanne whispered as the doctor nodded and smiled weakly at her, a sadness filling his eyes while she watched him. She couldn't think of what to say and could see that he was thinking the exact same. What did you say to someone who had fought to save your child's life but hadn't succeeded? "How long have I been here?" she asked, glancing from Neal to Jesse. "When did it happen?"

"Two days ago," Jesse finally admitted, guessing that Neal was still struggling to find something to say.

"Where were we going?" Leanne asked, desperately trying to remember her final moments with her family. "Why were we in the car?" she questioned, another groan leaving her lips as Neal knelt beside the bed and looked at her; noticing the tears in eyes and the paleness of her skin.

"Leanne are you in pain?" he asked, the brunette biting her lip to refrain from groaning again. "Let me give you something for the pain," he whispered, remembering the warmth of her blood on his hands as he had worked to save her life when Rollie had shouted for his assistance. "You've had serious surgery."

"Did you assist in my surgery?" she asked quietly, watching as Neal nodded slowly. "Why didn't you let me die?"

 **So what do you think? Do you want more?**


	2. Saying Goodbye

Watching the police officer leave the hospital room and move towards the lift, Neal smiled weakly before approaching the room the dark-haired officer has just left. Pushing the door open, the doctor stopped when he saw the brunette slightly propped up, tears streaming down her face as she furiously attempted to wipe them away with her hand while Jesse slept in the chair beside her bed. Letting go of the door, Neal stopped when Leanne glanced up at him at the sound of the door closing, desperately trying to calm herself.

"Hi," Neal said quietly, moving towards the bed before sitting slightly on the edge, not one hundred per cent sure what he was going to try and do. Reaching across to a box of tissues, he quickly removed one before leaning forward and gently wiping the tears away; the room almost silent except for the sounds of Jesse's snoring as Leanne stared at him. Moving the tissue from her face Neal sat quietly, watching her as she reached across and brushed her fingers across his hand. Her bruises had become considerably darker since the previous day, a dark purple mark staining the right-hand side of her face while various cuts and bruises marked the arm reaching towards him. Why did Jesse have to be asleep? He couldn't think of anything suitable to say while Jesse always knew the words. What did you say to someone who had just lost their husband and children? While he had been closer to Leanne than any of the other residents, he had never been the one to comfort her and it was strange being this close and touching her in a more intimate way than ever. "I want to ask how you are feeling but I know that it's a stupid question," he finally admitted as she nodded.

"It is a really stupid question," she responded, unable to stop herself from smiling weakly. "Everything hurts," Leanne finally admitted, resting back into the pillows as she closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around his hand. It was impossible to move too much. She had practically shattered both legs, she had one of her arms in a cast and her abdomen was covered in bandages from her surgery, making it impossible for her to sit up properly. "And Jesse's snoring doesn't help either," she added quietly, desperately trying to restore some normality to her life, a sad laugh leaving his lips. "He told me that the other driver was drunk," Leanne suddenly stated, Neal remembering the sombre police officer who had exited the room as he was arriving. "And that he's ok."

"He only had some superficial injuries," Neal whispered, remembering the man that Grace had offered to work on. How was it fair that the man who had caused the accident had survived while Leanne's entire family had been killed and she was lying in bed unable to move? "He's not here anymore, they took him last night when we discharged him," the doctor explained as Leanne nodded, having gained the information from the officer earlier. "Leanne I'm so…"

"Please don't say you're sorry," Leanne immediately responded. "I can't hear another person say they are sorry," the brunette stated. The words meant nothing to her now. She had heard them from Jesse and Neal already as well as the various doctors and nurses who had visited her since hearing that she was awake and lucid. "Sorry won't bring my family back, it would give me the chance to hold my kids again or kiss my husband ever again," Leanne declared, her voice rising as Neal moved away, wanting to give her space, but also waking Jesse.

"What's going on?" the nurse asked, opening his eyes slowly to see Neal standing beside the bed while Leanne began to sob. "Leanne?" Jesse asked, moving out of the chair to sit beside her before brushing the hair away from her face. "Leanne," he whispered, smiling weakly when the brunette stated at him and nodded slowly, breathing out gently as she tried to calm her breathing. "Try to rest," he whispered, moving away from the bed before looking at Neal and nodding towards the door.

"I'll see you soon," Neal said quietly, smiling weakly at the brunette who nodded and watched silently as the two men walked out of the room. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what's to say to her," the doctor admitted once the door had closed, Jesse sighing at the comment before nodding.

"She's still Leanne Neal," Jesse finally answered. "She's hurting in so many ways that we can't possibly imagine but she's still Leanne and she needs us, even if at times she doesn't seem too" the nurse added, smiling weakly as they both looked at the woman who was lying perfectly still with her eyes closed. "She wants me to take her to see them," Jesse said quietly, shock covering Neal's face as he glanced across at the nurse. "She has the right to see her family and to say goodbye."

"I know, I wouldn't even think of taking that away from her Jesse," Neal sighed, his fingers running through his hair as he shook his head. How was this happening? Less than a week ago, he and Jesse had sat laughing while Leanne had recounted one of Caitlyn's most recent school adventurers and how Alex had decided he wanted to be a doctor like her. Now, the two children who had brought such happiness to their lives were gone. "When are you going to take her?"

"Tomorrow," Jesse sighed, crossing his arms as he shook his head at the situation. "I was there when both of her children were born, I held her hand when she was in labour," Jesse admitted, remembering the first cries of both children and the gasp of amazement when Leanne had held her children for the very first time. "I never imagined I would be there when they both died."

"No one imagines that," Neal whispered, noticing the tears that were running down Jesse's cheeks. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I don't know how to help her."

"Just being there helps," Jesse smiled weakly. "Listen when she wants to talk, hold her hand when she doesn't know what else to do," the nurse sighed, looking at the sleeping woman again before shaking his head. "I'm planning on staying here, why don't you go home?" Jesse asked, looking back across at Neal before resting his hand on his colleague's shoulder. "Go home, spend time with Grace, get some sleep," Jesse suggested.

"When are you going to go home Jesse?" Neal asked quietly, aware that Jesse was practically living in the room with Leanne.

"When she gets fed up of me and tells me to go away. Until she says that, I'm not going anywhere," Jesse declared, opening the door to the hospital room slowly before stepping inside and closing it behind him without another word, leaving Neal in the empty corridor.

CODE BLACK-CODE BLACK

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Jesse asked, glancing down at Leanne as she moved around in the wheelchair, desperately trying to find some position in which she was slightly comfortable. "We could come back," Jesse whispered, kneeling beside the wheelchair as Leanne smiled weakly and reached out to rest her hand against his cheek.

"I need to see them Jesse," she said quietly, leaning back in the chair before she looked across at the doors to the morgue. "This isn't right Jesse, this shouldn't be happening," she declared, shaking her head as Jesse stood up and rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment. "I'm ready," Leanne breathed out, his hand moving from her shoulder to push her into the morgue.

"Leanne, Jesse," a male voice greeted, sadness obvious in their colleague's tone as he stepped forward and shook Leanne's hand. "I'm sorry for your loss Leanne," he whispered, the brunette nodding as she sunk her teeth into her lip in a desperate attempt not to cry in front of another colleague. Why did everyone feel this desperate need to apologise? They hadn't killed her family. They hadn't been driving the car that had crashed into hers. "I'll leave you alone, if you need anything…" he declared before falling silent and moving away while Jesse slowly pushed Leanne towards the first covered body.

"I'll need your help," Leanne admitted, glancing down at the casts on her legs that made it impossible for her to move without assistance. "Can you…" she asked, indicating to the sheet covering the body as Jesse nodded and silently moved towards it, his hand grasping it before looking at Leanne. "Do it, please," she whispered, watching as he slowly moved the sheet down to reveal her husband's face before he stepped away, trying to give her some privacy in her grief. "We were supposed to grow old together James, watch our children grow up and have their own children. We should have been grandparents together one day," she whispered, her hand reaching up to find his underneath the sheet; shock covering her face when she felt the absence of his wedding ring. "Where's his ring? He never took it off,' she asked, turning to look at Jesse as he shook his head.

"I'll find out and get it back to you," the nurse promised as she nodded and glanced up at her husband again.

"He always moaned at me because I would put mine in the pocket of my scrubs and forget to put it back on," she admitted, a sad smile decorating her face as tears began to run down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry James," she whispered, her head resting against his hand as she continued to cling onto it desperately. "Please forgive me," Leanne sobbed, jumping slightly when Jesse rested his hand on her shoulder again, desperately trying to comfort her in some way. "I love you," Leanne whispered, sitting up slightly to press a kiss against her husband's hand. "How do I say goodbye when this can't be real?" she asked herself, aware of Jesse's eyes on her as she continued to stare at the man she had committed to spend the rest of her life with; the tears continuing to stream down her face when she decided to lean back in the chair.

"Are you ready for me to…?" Jesse asked, falling silent as he stepped forwards, watching when Leanne began to let go of her husband's hand. She couldn't describe how she felt, faced with the idea that she would never see the man she loved again. Nodding, she brushed the tears away as Jesse moved the white sheet back over James' body before stepping back and standing behind her wheelchair. Moving the wheelchair slowly across the room, Jesse forced himself to brush the tears away from his face with one hand. He had been close to James, he had been drinking with him and had laughed alongside him on numerous occasions. James had always understood his relationship with Leanne and had never felt threatened but instead he had embraced their friendship and had welcomed Jesse as part of the family. Stopping the chair beside the next body, Jesse glanced down at his friend, suddenly feeling sick at the idea of revealing the bodies of Leanne's children.

"Its Caitlyn," she whispered, breaking the tense silence as he nodded and moved towards the white material. "Oh god," Leanne sobbed, watching as the material was once again moved to reveal the face of her loved one. "My baby," she whispered, desperately trying to reach up to touch her daughter's bruised face. "My beautiful baby girl," she said quietly, her head shaking as she ran her fingers across Caitlyn's face. She seemed so small now, so still, almost like a doll rather than the lively little girl she had watched grow. "She always loved you Jesse," Leanne whispered, turning around briefly to see the tears in her friend's eyes. "James and I were sometimes really jealous of how much she loved you," Leanne smiled through the tears, her hand continuing to brush her daughter's cheek before she leant forward and gently pressed a kiss to her cheek; a small groan leaving her lips as pain shot through her abdomen.

"She adored you Leanne, she adored you both," Jesse whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"This shouldn't have happened to you," Leanne said quietly, her fingers continuing to brush against her daughter's cold cheek. "I'm so sorry baby, I'm sorry I didn't protect you," she sobbed, her hand moving away briefly to brush the tears away. "I will never forget you Caitlyn, mommy will always love you," Leanne whispered, her fingers running through her little girl's hair before she forced herself to move away; Jesse slowly moving the sheet back over the tiny body. "She was going to be in the school play, I have her costume at home," Leanne muttered, shocking herself by the sudden thought. "She was cross with me because I promised I'd have it finished last week but work had been insane and I just hadn't found the time," she said quietly, remembering when she had returned home from work to find her daughter sat silently on the stairs glaring at her.

"She adored you Leanne and she was so proud that you were saving lives every day," Jesse responded, leaning down to press a kiss into Leanne's hair as she shut her eyes. Would her daughter forever be cross with her in her memory? Would she always remember her little girl staring at her from the stairs, disappointed that she hadn't kept her promise? "Don't ever doubt how much she loved you Leanne," the nurse said quietly, his hand moving to her shoulder as she remained perfectly still. "Leanne?" he asked quietly, her eyes opening slowly to look at him as he smiled weakly. "You in pain?"

"A little bit," she admitted, aware that she had stretched more in the last few moments then she had since she'd woken up the day before. "Nothing too serious," she dismissed, glancing across at the final white sheet. "He's looks so small," Leanne whispered, watching the sheet be lowered again to reveal her son. "Hi Alex," she muttered, reaching once more for the tiny hand resting beneath the sheet. "It's mommy," she whispered, squeezing his hand in hers while shaking her head. "Oh god, I've got to say goodbye," the brunette gasped, feeling like someone was squeezing her heart as tightly as possible. "I don't want to say goodbye Jesse."

"Leanne," Jesse whispered, not knowing what else to do.

"I don't want this to be my life," she sobbed, cradling her son's hand in hers as she shook her head. "I want to wake up and have my babies climb into bed with me before I get ready for work, I just want to hold them one last time. I want to hear them laugh," Leanne whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss to her son's hand. "I should have protected you Alex, I should have protected you all. It should have been me," Leanne said quietly, Jesse's eyes closing for a moment, feeling like he was intruding on her most private moments. "You will always be my baby boy," she whispered, looking up at her son again before shaking her head. "And I will never stop loving you or thinking about you," she stated before pulling her hand away and shaking her head as Jesse moved the cloth for the final time. Kneeling in front of her in silence once he had finished moving the cloth, Jesse took hold of her uninjured hand and squeezed it gently, desperately trying to comfort her.

"When you're ready, I'll take you back to your room. You need to rest," Jesse said quietly, not wanting to rush her but aware that she was in more pain than she would admit. She was being forced to say goodbye to her entire family at one time, he couldn't imagine what that was like and he didn't want her to look back and think that he had rushed her out of the morgue.

"It should have been me Jesse," Leanne whispered, staring at her friend as he squeezed her hand. "I should have died, it should be me lying there, not them," she declared, breathing out when a stabbing pain hit her abdomen. Her body was screaming for her to stay still but she couldn't bring herself to leave them yet. "Why didn't I die?" she asked, staring down at the injuries that covered her body. "Why did I survive? Why does he get to survive when they're dead?" she sobbed, thinking about the driver who was sat in jail awaiting trial for the deaths of her family. "They'd never hurt anyone, they were lovely people. My children were innocent, they didn't deserve to die like that."

"I don't know Leanne," Jesse whispered. "I wish I knew, I wish I could explain why this happened to you but I can't, I can't explain why they're gone" the nurse admitted, not knowing what else to say to his grieving friend as she squeezed his hand briefly. "But you're still here and they would be happy that you're alive because they were lovely people and they loved you," he explained, tears running down both their cheeks as she leant forward and rested her forehead against his. "Nothing will ever take that away from you," Jesse whispered as he remained still, the sound of her sobs getting louder as she continued to rest against him, her eyes closing in pain and sadness. "They will always love you."

 **Thank you for reading and please let me know your opinions. Are you interested in more? Is there anything you would like to see happen in this story?**


	3. Would You Rather

"Neal," Grace moaned loudly, nudging her boyfriend as he groaned in his sleep before turning away from her. "Neal," she said again, resting her hand on his shoulder before pushing him harder. "Doctor Hudson, your phone won't stop ringing. Stop it ringing," she declared, smiling weakly at him when he immediately sat up and ran his fingers through his hair before reaching across to grab the screaming object from her bedside table.

"Neal Hudson," he answered, falling back onto the pillow before Grace curled up beside him, her head resting against his chest as he wrapped his free arm gently around her. It was their first day off together in weeks and Neal had spent the last week listening to her plans about what they were going to spend the day together doing. He also knew very clearly that a phone call first thing in the morning was not a part of her plan.

"Neal, its Jesse," the nurse's familiar voice almost immediately responded, clearly sounding agitated as Neal moved to sit up, a small groan leaving Grace's lips when she was forced to move, her eyes immediately opening to look at him.

"What's happened Jesse?" Neal asked, not surprised when Grace moved away from him to lie on the other side of the bed on her side at the mention of the nurse's name, her head shaking as she turned her back on him. "Is Leanne okay?" the doctor asked.

"That's why I'm calling actually," Jesse admitted. "Two of my nurses have called in, I need to go in early and I don't want to leave her on her own for an entire double," he said quietly, clearly feeling guilty for what he was about to ask. "I know it's a huge favour to ask Neal, especially when it's your first day off, but could you come in for a couple of hours?" the nurse asked.

"I could be there in an hour Jesse? I have some things that I need to do first," Neal immediately suggested without considering anything else, including the woman beside him and her plans for the day. Moving out of the bed, Neal looked back to see his girlfriend sitting up, arms crossed around her chest while she shook her head at him.

"Thanks Neal, I owe you one," Jesse responded while Neal moved towards the pile of clothes he had removed the previous evening. An hour would be more than enough time to go back to his own apartment and change before heading across to the hospital to see Leanne. Saying goodbye to the nurse, Neal threw the phone onto the empty space on the bed while Grace continue to shake her head at him, watching him silently when he began to pull on his jeans on.

"I'm sorry Grace," he finally sighed, glancing up at her as she sighed and moved out of the bed. "I know you had plans for today," Neal explained, the guilt obvious in his voice.

"There's always next time Neal," she smiled, leaning up to kiss him gently before resting her hands on his chest. "We could go for dinner this evening? I'll get us a reservation somewhere," Grace suggested, Neal nodding at the idea before he leant down and kissed her again.

"I don't deserve you," he smiled against her lips, a laugh leaving hers as she shook her head.

"No you don't Doctor Hudson but you're stuck with me anyway," she declared before stepping away. "You told him you'd be an hour so you better get going. I'll text you when I've booked somewhere," she nodded, Neal smiling to himself as he moved out of the bedroom; grabbing his car keys as he walked towards the front door.

CODE BLACK- CODE BLACK

"Neal what are you doing here?" Leanne immediately asked when the doctor entered her room; confusion covering his face as he glanced across at Jesse. So Jesse hadn't told her that he was coming then! "Jesse," Leanne immediately groaned, clear disapproval in her voice as she glared across at her friend. Holding his hands in the hair, Jesse smiled to himself before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Leanne's head, aware that she was still glaring at him. "Jesse," she warned.

"I better go," Jesse smiled, moving towards the exit while Neal shook his head and moved towards the brunette. "I'll come and see you later if I have a break," the nurse called out, Leanne's head shaking at him before he walked out of the room and disappeared quickly from sight.

"I'm sorry he called you," Leanne said quickly, Neal turning his head to look at her before he shook his head and sat down in the chair. "It's your day off, I'm sure you have better things to do today than babysitting me because Jesse's worried," she explained, Neal laughing gently as his smile continued to grow. She was starting to look more like herself now. The colour was returning to her face while the black bruises had started to fade and she could now sit up more, even though the casts on her legs constricted her movement. Although he hadn't talked to either Jesse or Leanne about what had happened during their visit to the morgue the previous week, he had started to see a slight change in her. "I can't believe he called you on your day off."

"I didn't have any plans," Neal lied, smiling to himself as Leanne's eyebrows rose, questioning his answers. She'd always been able to tell when he was lying ever since he had started as a resident. "I didn't have any plans that couldn't be reorganised for another day Leanne," he rephrased, her head shaking slightly before she smiled and relaxed back, looking at him as he removed his phone from his jeans pocket and rested it on the table. "I thought he would have told you I was coming," Neal admitted as she shook her head and laughed.

"He knew I wouldn't have let him call you if he told me," she admitted, watching him as he nodded slowly. "You've done so much for me since the accident Neal, other than Jesse you're the only person who has visited every single day and I'm grateful for that," she admitted, staring at her resident as he nodded. "But you're a busy man Neal and I know you've all been forced to take on more hours until I'm back at work and you don't see enough of Grace. Now you're spending your day off with a woman who can't even get out of bed without help," Leanne explained, his head shaking as he reached forward and took hold of her hand, squeezing it gently as she briefly glanced down at their hands.

"You're my friend Leanne," he explained, smiling at her. "And I can imagine that as a patient, this place can be extremely boring," he added, both laughing gently before she shook her head; glancing down at their entwined hands again. "I don't have anywhere to be today, why don't we organise a hospital break out?" he asked quietly, leaning forward as her eyebrows rose again.

"A hospital break out? You're suggesting taking a patient out of hospital Doctor Hudson?" she smirked as Neal nodded. "Neal, I can't walk, I can't actually move. I don't know if it's a good idea," the brunette whispered, looking down at the casts covering her legs before glancing across at the nearest window. She'd been in this room for nearly two weeks, she knew she was going to be discharged soon. There was nothing more the hospital could do for her, she just needed to rest and recover from her injuries. It looked like it was a beautiful day, why shouldn't she go outside of the hospital for one afternoon?

"There will be an excellent Doctor there the entire time," Neal suddenly smiled, a smirk covering her face at the comment.

"You're becoming big headed Neal," Leanne laughed.

"Who said I was talking about myself?" he asked, her head shaking again before she breathed out and nodded. "Is that a yes?" he asked quietly.

"It's a yes," Leanne smiled. "Can you ask someone to help me change? I'm not going out in a hospital gown," she explained, Neal nodding before he grabbed his phone and moved towards the door, resting his hand on the handle. "We'll need a wheelchair as well," she added quickly, Neal smiling as his phone beeped in his hand.

"I'll be back in a minute," Neal quickly responded before walking out of the room. Glancing down at the message he had received, Neal smiled at the restaurant name and time that Grace had sent him before replying that he would be there, stopping only to ask a passing nurse to help Leanne and whether she would be able to find him a wheelchair. Sitting down in the corridor, Neal brushed his hands through his hair, watching the doctors and nurses walk past while he waited for the nurse to remerge from Leanne's room. He hadn't planned to take Leanne out of the hospital room but seeing her smile and laugh, to see the colour return to her face had forced him to remember that she was still Leanne Rorish, ER Doctor and Residency Director. She was not just another patient.

"Doctor Hudson," a voice said, interrupting him from his thoughts as he looked up to see the nurse standing in front of him. "She's ready," she explained, Neal smiling as he stood up and shook her hand. "Don't overdo it, I don't want to be the one calming Mama down when he comes to visit," she warned, the doctor nodding before he moved towards the hospital room and stepped inside to see Leanne sat in the wheelchair, dressed in a pair of hospital scrubs while her uninjured hand brushed her hair.

"You ready to go?" Neal asked. "What would you like to do first?"

"I'd like a decent cup of coffee," she admitted, Neal laughing as he pushed the chair out of the hospital room, directing her towards the lift.

"Coffee addict," he smiled, pressing the button to the lift.

"I'm a doctor, coffee is a staple part of my diet as you know," Leanne explained, sighing when she was pushed into the lift before shaking her head. Hearing his phone beep in his pocket, Neal sighed as he pulled it out to see Grace's name flashing up on the screen. "Everything ok?" Leanne asked, glancing around to see him staring at his phone.

"Everything's fine," he quickly responded, turning the phone off before slipping it back into his pocket; pushing her out of the lift when the doors finally opened. Wheeling her out of the hospital, Neal slowly approached his car, noticing her body tense when he finally stopped beside the vehicle. "Leanne," he said quietly, her head shaking as she breathed out.

"I hadn't thought about the car," she whispered so quietly that Neal was forced to kneel beside her to hear. "I don't know if I can do this Neal," Leanne admitted, looking across at him as he reached over and took hold of her hand; confusion covering her face when she felt him pass something into her hand. "Neal?" she asked quietly, glancing down at their hands.

"It's my car key," he explained, moving her hand away so she could see it. "We're not going anywhere until you're ready Leanne, so if we sit here all afternoon, then we've at least got some reasonably fresh air," he smiled, trying to remain positive as the tears began to run down her cheeks; her fingers continuing to move the key around. It felt heavy in her hand, heavier than she could ever have imagined a key to be. She couldn't help but feel that she was being ridiculous. She was a good driver, she used to love driving. She had driven everywhere, willingly offering to drive for all family occasions.

"It's a nice car," Leanne said quietly, Neal nodding as he looked back at his car. Everyone knew Neal was proud of his car and had proceeded to use it as a joke against him since the first time he had arrived at work in it. "I can see why you love it," she whispered, still moving the key around in her fingers. "It's spotless, how often do you clean the thing?" she asked, desperately trying to sound humorous as Neal smiled weakly, aware of how nervous she was. Her car had never been this clean in the entire time she had owned it.

"I might take it to be cleaned every time I have a day off," Neal admitted, a laugh leaving her lips as she turned slightly to face him.

"We were lucky if we cleaned ours twice a year," Leanne muttered, smiling weakly at the memories of her children helping to clean the car and the soapy water that ultimately covered them all. Pressing the button on his key, Leanne bit into her lip briefly at the sound of the car unlocking. "Will you help me with this?" she asked after he had opened the passenger door.

"Of course," he said quietly, leaning down so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "Ready?" he asked, the brunette nodding before he slid her arms under her and lifted her out of the chair. Carrying her towards the car, Neal bent down before sliding her onto the seat, a small moan leaving her lips at the movement. "Everything ok?"

"Fine," Leanne whispered, her arms slowly moving from around his neck while he stepped back. She didn't want to admit that she was embarrassed at having to ask for help, embarrassed that she couldn't move for herself to complete even the most basic of acts. "Don't close the door yet," she suddenly blurted out when he stepped back towards the wheelchair, his head nodding as he folded the wheelchair and lifted it into the back of the car. Closing her eyes, Leanne breathed out slowly before shaking her head. How had she not considered that they would be going in a car before agreeing to this? She was wheelchair bound, how else was she going to get around? Moving back towards the open car door, Neal looked at her in silence as she continued to sit there with her eyes closed.

"We don't have to do this," Neal said quietly, her eyes opening again at the sound of his voice.

"I need to do this," she finally sighed, aware that she would need to get in a car at some point. "You can close the door Neal, I'm ok now," she whispered, Neal nodding again before he stepped back and closed the door; moving around to the other side of the vehicle in silence. Climbing in, he closed his door before turning to face her, smiling when she removed the car key from the pocket of her scrubs. "Promise me something."

"Anything," Neal responded, a nervous smile decorating her face as she nodded.

"Please don't ask me how I am today," she said quietly. "I just want one day without someone asking, it's the only thing people ask now," Leanne admitted, the other doctor nodding.

"I promise," he agreed, noticing how her smile grew before she looked down at the key in her hands.

"I think I'm ready then," she whispered, passing the key over to him.

"If you want to stop Leanne, tell me and we'll pull over," he said quickly, starting the car as she nodded breathing out again when he started to pull out of the parking space. "I know exactly where we should go."

CODE BLACK- CODE BLACK

"One coffee as requested," Neal smiled as he passed the drink to her through the open window, a small smile decorating her face as she cradled it in her hand. "It's beautiful here," he stated glancing across at the beach ahead of them before moving towards his side of the car and climbing into the driver's seat.

"This is good," Leanne admitted after taking a sip of the coffee, her smile growing as she felt the breeze against her skin. She'd missed the fresh air, the breeze against her skin and the sound of people living. Her hospital room had been so quiet, sterilised as expected of a hospital and for two weeks it had been all she'd known.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Neal said quickly before taking a sip of his own coffee. "Okay, that is a really good coffee," he smiled, a laugh leaving her lips as she nodded and relaxed back into her seat. "Is there anything you'd like to do?" he asked, her head shaking as she smiled across at him.

"No this is perfect," Leanne admitted. The view was beautiful and she was now comfortable in the car. The journey had been a challenge with every car horn and speeding driving making her nervous but she had managed to control herself and had not asked Neal to stop at all although she was aware that he had nearly stopped a couple of times because her hand had reached out towards him. Watching Leanne close her eyes, Neal smiled before looking across at the sea briefly.

"Would you rather swim with sharks without the cage or be chased by a lion?" Neal suddenly asked, a laugh leaving Leanne's lips as she opened her eyes and looked across at him in amazement.

"What?" she asked.

"Would you rather swim with sharks or be chased by a lion?" he repeated, his smile continuing to grow as she shook her head at him, unable to stop her own smile from growing. "I expect an answer."

"Swim with sharks?" she asked nervously, the other doctor nodding while she stared at him. "Are we seriously playing this game?" Leanne questioned, Neal's smile answering her question as she laughed again and turned slightly to ensure she was facing him. "Okay," she breathed out before shaking her head. "Would you rather read people's minds or be invisible?" Leanne asked quietly,

"Read people's minds," Neal responded. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with patients who don't want to explain their symptoms or how it happened," he smiled, Leanne nodding in agreement. "Would you rather be a bad singer or a bad dancer?" he asked quickly, her head shaking.

"I'm both of those anyway," Leanne smiled, Neal laughing gently at her response.

"You're not a bad dancer, I've seen you dance," Neal said quickly, her eyebrows rising as he laughed gently. "When we all went out to dinner at Christmas," he began to recall, a groan leaving her lips as she covered her eyes with her hand. "Remember now?" he questioned, her head nodding slowly.

"That was all Jesse's fault," she whispered, unable to stop herself from smiling. "I really do hate him sometimes, he gets me in the most embarrassing situations," Leanne admitted, a small laughing Neal's lips as he shook his head. "And from what I remember that was an example of really appalling dancing Neal."

"You two were the ones who decided to dance on tables," Neal commented, embarrassment covering her face as she bit into her lip. "And it wasn't too bad until you fell off," he added, shaking his head as she groaned again; remembering lying on the floor in hysterics with Jesse beside her while Neal, Mark and Grace had all been laughing in their seats.

"I really hurt my ankle doing that," Leanne admitted, moving her hand from her eyes to look across at the other doctor as he continued to laugh. "Okay, would you rather have a messy car or a messy apartment?" she asked, knowing that it was a silly question to ask considering the state of the vehicle they were currently sat in.

"Messy apartment," he immediately answered. "I'm awful at laundry if I'm honest, it's the one thing that I never seem to do until its desperate," he admitted, her head shaking at his admission. "I love my car to be spotless but my apartment is never tidy, I have too much stuff for it to ever look neat," Neal stated, her head shaking as she looked around the vehicle. It looked like no one had ever owned the vehicle. "Is it my turn?"

CODE BLACK-CODE BLACK

"Has she come back yet?" Jesse asked as he walked down the corridor towards Leanne's room, smiling at the nurse who nodded and moved towards him.

"They arrived back about an hour ago," the nurse admitted, walking beside Jesse as they approached Leanne's room. "She had a good day, they haven't stopped laughing since they got back," she smiled, the two of them stopping outside of the room as Jesse's smile grew. Glancing into the room, Jesse couldn't help but laugh at the site of Leanne fast asleep on the bed in a pair of hospital scrubs while Neal was dozing in the chair beside her. "It was nice to hear her laugh," the nurse smiled before moving away while Jesse continued to look at the sleeping pair. Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Jesse quickly pulled it out to see Grace's name flashing on the screen.

"Hi Grace," Jesse answered, slowly opening the door to Leanne's room.

"Hi Jesse, have you seen Neal? He's not answering his phone and we were supposed to meet for dinner an hour ago," Grace asked, Jesse's head shaking as he quietly closed to door and approached the sleeping doctor.

"No I haven't," Jesse lied, his foot gently kicking Neal's as the doctor groaned and opened his eyes, remaining silent when the nurse held a finger to his lips. "I'm about to go on my break Grace, I'll go and see if he's with Leanne and let him know that you're looking for him. I'm sure he's just been delayed," the nurse explained, watching the shock cover his face as Neal recognised who he was talking to and immediately removed the phone from the pocket of his jeans.

"Thanks Jesse," Grace responded, Jesse saying goodbye before he put the phone down and watched the panic cover Neal's face as he glanced down at his phone.

"I turned it off earlier," Neal muttered, shaking his head at the number of missed calls and messages from his girlfriend. "I forgot that we were supposed to be going for dinner," Neal admitted, standing up quickly before pulling his jacket on and shaking his head.

"Go and get some flowers on your way home," Jesse suggested, Neal nodding as he quickly moved towards the door; only turning back once he had opened it. "I won't tell her that you missed your dinner, she'd feel guilty," the nurse smiled as Neal nodded.

"Tell her that I had a great day," Neal added before moving into the corridor, his head shaking as he moved towards the lift. How had he forgotten dinner with Leanne?

 **Opinions? It's not my favourite chapter. I'm planning on having Leanne discharged in the next one.**


	4. The Funeral

**Thank you to those who have reviewed and favourited this story, I'm so glad that you're enjoying it. This isn't my favourite chapter but I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

"There you go Leanne," Jessie whispered, sliding the final pin into her hair as she sat in the wheelchair in silence; watching their reflections in the mirror. "Are you ready?" he asked quietly, the brunette nodding as Jesse stepped away to stand in front of her, a sad smile covering his face as she reached up and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you for doing this," Leanne said quietly. She had called Jesse the previous evening unsure what she was going to wear to her family's funeral but he had immediately calmed her, offering to go and buy her something to wear as well as promising to arrive early to assist her in getting ready. Glancing down at the black dress she was wearing, Leanne nodded weakly before breathing out gently. "I don't know what I would have done without you Jesse over the last couple of weeks," the doctor admitted, still holding Jesse's hand tightly in hers.

"I wouldn't have been anywhere else," Jesse responded, leaning down to press a kiss into her hair before moving to wheel her out of the hospital room. Leanne had filled out the paperwork earlier for her discharge and knew that she wouldn't be returning to the hospital after the funeral, although she had not properly considered how she was going to live at her house while still confined to the wheelchair. Wheeling her into the hospital lift, Jesse watched in silence as Leanne began to nervously play with the wedding ring on her finger, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Are we going in your car?" she asked quietly, falling silent again when the lift doors open and he pushed her out towards the hospital exit.

"Neal's picking us up. He should be already waiting outside," Jesse admitted, Leanne turning to look at him as he smiled weakly. "Don't look at me like that Leanne, he offered. He wanted to know whether there was anything he could do today," the nurse explained, not wanting Leanne to think that he'd gone behind her back again to arrange things with Neal like he had done the previous day. Pushing her out of the hospital, Jesse smiled weakly when he saw Neal climb out of his car and walk around to the passenger seat, opening it in silence as they approached.

"Hi," Neal said quietly when they stopped beside him.

"Hello," Leanne whispered, her fingers still playing nervously with her wedding ring while Neal moved to kneel beside her; Jesse stepping back to give them some privacy.

"Same promise as yesterday?" Neal asked quietly, the brunette glancing up at him in amazement before nodding. She couldn't believe that he'd remembered, let alone was offering to do it again today. Standing up, Neal smiled across at Jesse as the man moved back towards him. "Do you want to sit in the front?" Neal questioned, looking at Leanne again before she nodded. Leaning down, Neal remained silent as Leanne wrapped her arms tightly around his neck before lifting her out of the chair and sliding her into the passenger seat. "Can you look after this for me?" Neal asked, passing her the car key as a small smile decorated her face. Watching her nod before he stepped away, Neal moved to open the back of the car for Jesse before stepping out of the way to allow the nurse to lift the wheelchair into the back.

"How's Grace?" Jesse whispered to him when they stepped away from the vehicle.

"Angry but I explained and she was okay in the end. I can't believe I forgot about dinner, we'd even had a conversation about it before I left," Neal admitted, remembering the ice-cold silence he had been greeted with when he had arrived at her apartment, armed with flowers and take out.

"She can be very distracting," Jesse smiled, looking towards the front of the vehicle before Neal smiled weakly. "We should get going," he said quietly, Neal nodding before he moved towards Leanne's seat while Jesse climbed into the back of the car. Looking down at the brunette, Neal closed the door before moving to his side of the car and climbing in.

"Car key Neal?" Leanne asked quietly, passing it over to Neal as he nodded and gently took it from her hand. Turning the car on, Neal looked across to see Leanne's eyes closed tightly and some tears running down her cheeks. Reaching across, Neal took hold of her hand before squeezing it gently, her eyes opening to look at him as he smiled weakly. He desperately wanted to ask how she was feeling, if there was anything he could do but he also knew the last thing she wanted. "I'm okay," Leanne whispered, answering the questions he was desperately trying not to ask. "I'm okay," she repeated.

CODE BLACK- CODE BLACK

Neal had to admit that it was a beautiful funeral. There had been more people than he had expected, many of who were Leanne's friends from the hospital, who had known her husband and children through their friendship with her. He had seen that their presence had amazed Leanne when they arrived, a nervous smile covering her face when Jesse pushed her down the aisle to sit in the front pew. Leanne hadn't cried during the funeral but now she was sat beside the graves of her family alone while he stood back with Jesse sobbing alone.

"Do we do something?" Neal asked quietly, looking across at Jesse as the nurse shook his head and brushed away his own tears. "It's starting to get cold," the doctor commented casually, removing his black suit jacket before he silently stepped forwards towards the crying woman, aware that she was not listening to him. Placing his jacket gently over her, Neal briefly rested his hand on her shoulder before stepping back, stopping when Leanne reached up and rested her hand on his to stop him moving further away.

"How were we laughing at the beach yesterday and today we're burying my family?" she asked quietly, still staring at the three new graves. Her beautiful children, her loving husband gone. Stepping closer to the brunette, Neal shook his head sadly as she leant into his side, her hand falling away from his. It had been the sight of the two small coffins of Leanne's children that had made him cry during the funeral. They had been so small, so unreal. It still almost seemed impossible that Leanne's children were gone. "I keep thinking that they must hate me Neal," Leanne whispered. "They must hate me for surviving."

"Leanne," Neal whispered. "Your family could never hate you."

"But how can you know?" she asked quietly.

"Because I know how much they loved you Leanne. The only thing they ever wanted was to make you happy, to see you smile and nothing could ever make them angry with you," Neal passionately stated, quickly kneeling beside her as the tears continued to run down her cheeks. "They would want you to live your life," Neal whispered sadly, her body moving so she could rest her forehead against his before closing her eyes; desperately trying to control the tears streaming down her face. "They would want you to live your life for them Leanne, to enjoy your life."

"I don't know if I can without them," Leanne responded. How could she live her life without the people who had been her life? She adored her work but what was the point if she didn't have a family to go home too?

"Yes you can, Jesse and I will be there to help as much or as little as you want but you can live," Neal explained, his fingers brushing against her cheek. It was an extremely intimate act, an act he hadn't thought about. He had never been this close to Leanne throughout their entire friendship and now she was sobbing against him, their bodies moving so her head pressed against his shoulder while his arms moved around her sobbing figure. "You can do anything you want, I know you," he said quietly into her hair, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "Never doubt how much your family loves you," the doctor whispered into her hair as her tears started to calm.

"Jesse wants me to stay with him," Leanne said quietly, surprising him with the change in topic. He had, however, been wondering where Leanne was going to stay, aware that everything was upstairs in her house while Jesse had an apartment with easier access for her while she was restricted by the casts. "Will you talk to him for me please?" she asked quietly, her forehead remaining still against his shoulder while he continued to hold her closer. "He only has a one-bed apartment, he'll offer to sleep on the sofa and he'll do his back in. I can't do that to him," Leanne explained.

"You can't stay in your house at the moment Leanne," Neal said quietly, feeling her tense against him. "It's not practical, not with your casts. The stairs," he began, falling silent when a groan of frustration left her lips while his fingers brushed through her hair; desperately trying to find some way of comforting her. "I know you want to go home Leanne," he said quietly. He couldn't blame her for wanting to go home and try to build some normality back into her life. "And you will, just not yet."

"I don't want to be a burden, he hasn't got the space and I'd be in the way," Leanne admitted. Jesse's apartment was fairly small and unsurprisingly full of clutter and she knew that within two days their friendship would be tested. She loved Jesse but they never did well when they were forced to live together for extended periods of time. She also couldn't force her working best friend to give up his bed and sleep on the sofa for her.

"Stay with me then," Neal suddenly suggested, not surprised when she moved her head so she was looking up at him. "I have a two-bedroom apartment, you could have as much privacy as you wanted," he explained, the surprise remaining on her face. It made sense to offer his spare room to her. He had the space, he could help her if she wanted it but she'd also have time alone while he was at work. It seemed a logical alternative to Jesse's or living on her own.

"I can't Neal," Leanne stated firmly. "You've done so much for me already, more than you needed to," the brunette stated, his head shaking as he forced himself to smile. Neal had been there for her throughout everything, she couldn't force herself on his hospitality as well.

"Leanne, I'm offering an alternative to staying with Jesse. We could go to your house first, collect anything you wanted. It would be your apartment too until you were ready to go back to your house," Neal stated, the brunette smiling weakly before sighing.

"I don't want to be in your way," the brunette whispered.

"You wouldn't be, I promise," Neal stated, her head moving to rest against his chest again. "Is that a yes then?" he asked quietly, glancing back to see Jesse watching him.

"Yes, but only until the casts are off, then I'm going home," Leanne whispered before moving away, resting back in the wheelchair before staring at the graves of her family. "Can I have a few more moments please?" she asked quietly, looking up at him. Stepping away from the brunette, Neal silently moved back towards Jesse, smiling weakly at the other man.

"She just wants another couple of minutes," Neal repeated as Jesse nodded slowly. Standing together, neither men could think of something to say. It didn't seem appropriate to have a conversation while their friend grieved for her entire family. "All of this because one man decided to drive his car after drinking," Neal said quietly, Jesse nodding sadly before Neal sighed. "I've asked her to stay with me," Neal admitted.

"Is that a good idea Neal?" Jesse asked quietly, surprising Neal with his response. Neal hadn't expected Jesse to question whether it was a good idea but instead had expected him to ask whether he was sure about offering.

"I have two rooms Jesse, she'd have her own space," Neal explained. "She doesn't want to disturb you, she's worried about you sleeping on the couch," the doctor admitted. "I understand that you want to look after her but she wants to look after you as well, we can look after her at mine while she has some independence from us too," Neal began, falling silent when Leanne turned in the wheelchair to look at them both.

"I'll go Neal," Jesse offered, moving away before the doctor could offer or continue his statement. Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Neal groaned before he reached for it, glancing down at it to see Grace's name flashing up on the screen. She knew where he was today.

"Grace it's not the best time right now, I'm still with Leanne," he immediately answered, turning his back on the other two to move towards his car.

"I thought the funeral finished over an hour ago," Grace said quietly, the guilt obvious in her voice.

"I gave Jesse and Leanne a lift Grace," he admitted, hoping that would explain why it wasn't the most appropriate time to be on the phone.

"Oh god Neal, you didn't tell me you were going to drive her there," Grace groaned. "I wouldn't have called if I'd known Neal, you should have told me."

"I know, I'm sorry for snapping at you, I should have told you," he sighed, glancing across to see Jesse hugging Leanne close to him as they both looked in the opposite direction to him. "What did you want to talk about Grace? Everything okay?" Neal asked, trying to sound positive as he ran his free hand through his hair. He couldn't believe he was doing this. His friend had just buried her family and was openly grieving while he was stood by the car on the phone to his girlfriend.

"The post arrived today," Grace almost squealed, forcing him to hold the phone away from his face.

"The post arrives every day except Sunday," Neal found himself sarcastically responding, unable to resist the opportunity. "It's those envelopes that we try to ignore because its usually a bill," he smiled weakly, turning his back on Leanne and Jesse to try and desperately put some distance between his casual conversation and their grief.

"Very funny Neal, you should have been a comedian, not a doctor," Grace declared before laughing herself, clearly excited at whatever news she had got in the post. "Neal, we're going," she smiled, confusing him further.

"Going where?" he asked.

"Neal!" Grace warned, clearly becoming frustrated with his lack of interest or excitement. "We're going to Haiti," she squealed, shock covering his face as he quickly looked around to see Jesse moving to push Leanne towards him. Haiti. How had he forgotten about that? It almost felt like someone else's life, like he hadn't been the one to sit beside Grace and fill out the identical application form to her, preparing for a new experience with the woman he loved. "Neal?" Grace asked, interrupting him from his thoughts.

"I've got to go Grace," Neal said quietly, not surprise when his girlfriend groaned at response. "Look why don't we talk later? I'll call you when I get home," he suggested, Grace murmuring in agreement but clearly reluctant to end the conversation. "I'll talk to you later Grace," the doctor said quietly before he put the phone down and put it into his pocket.

"Everything okay?" Leanne asked when he turned around to see them approaching him.

"Everything's fine," Neal responded, moving to open the front door of the car. "Everything's fine," he repeated to himself before turning to face the brunette, a sad smile decorating his face as she looked up at him. How could he tell her that he was going to Haiti? That he was going to leave when she had just lost her entire family and he had offered his spare room to her, offered to be there to support her during this. He'd forgotten all about Haiti, forgotten how excited Grace was by the idea of going to Haiti together.

"Neal," Leanne whispered, bringing him back from his thoughts.

"Ready?" he asked quietly as he leant down, Leanne nodding as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, her head moving to rest against his shoulder. Opening his mouth to ask how she was, he stopped himself, aware that it was the last question she wanted him to ask.

"I'm okay, stop worrying," the brunette whispered without moving her head, Neal smiling to himself at her comment. "I don't want to go to my, can we go straight to yours please?" she asked quietly, closing her eyes as she rested back in the seat, Neal stepping back to look at her.

"Of course we can," Neal said quietly, suddenly realising that he would do anything that she asked of him.

 **I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and please favourite or leave a review. I'd love to hear your ideas for anything you'd like to see as the story progresses.**

 **Next Chapter: Leanne and Neal living together…**


	5. Living Together

**Apologies for the delay in updating, I've been in Edinburgh for a few days. Thank you for your reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy it. If there is anything you would like to see in the future in this story, please let me know and I will try my hardest to put it in.**

It was the smell of coffee that woke her.

Stretching out across the bed, Leanne smiled as she turned her head and breathed in the familiar scent of her favourite drink. She didn't want to open her eyes just yet, it felt too much like a dream. The smell of the coffee, the softness of the sheets around her, the otherwise silent room. This felt too much like home to be real. Hearing a soft knock at the door, Leanne sighed to herself before burying her face slightly into the pillow when the gentle knock radiated around the room again.

"Come in," Leanne finally sighed, slowly opening her eyes to watch the door open and Neal step in. "Hello," the brunette smiled to herself, pushing her hands into the mattress to help herself to sit up while Neal silently walked towards her, perching on the edge of her bed before placing one of the mugs in his hand on the bedroom table. "Thank you," Leanne smiled, reaching across to take the warm mug into her hands, smiling at the familiar smell and warmth.

"How did you sleep Leanne?" Neal asked, taking in her messed hair and the relaxed look that covered her face. She looked the most relaxed he had seen since before the accident, leaning back against the large pillows with a small smile decorating her face.

"Really well, thanks," Leanne smiled, taking a quick sip of the coffee before shaking her head. "Thank you for letting me stay Neal," she said quietly, taking in his scruffy appearance. He usually looked so smart at work, even after hours in code black, and yet here he was in a pair of dark pyjamas, his hair ruffled and a tired expression covering his face. He looked so young, so innocent. "And thanks for the coffee," she added.

"Can't start the day without it," he smiled, her head nodding before a small laugh left her lips. It felt odd to her being so relaxed while wearing a pair of pyjamas that Jesse had brought over the previous evening with her colleague sat beside her, also dressed for bed. It felt so wrong that this man had been only her colleague a couple of weeks ago, a man who she sometimes grabbed a coffee with and talked to casually when they managed to catch a break but was now someone she was conversing with after just waking up. "Your hair has gone a bit…" he began, falling silent when she rose her eyebrows at him.

"A bit?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face as he looked at her for a moment, clearly trying to think of a way of not offending her.

"Wild," he smirked, a small laugh leaving her lips before she ran her fingers through her hair, desperately trying to calm it. She knew her hair usually looked huge in the morning. One of the first things she tried to do every morning was brush it but she wasn't sure where her hair brush was.

"You can't talk, your hair is all over the place," she responded quickly, the doctor laughing before he also moved to flatten his hair. "I don't think I've ever seen your hair look so messy," Leanne admitted, the doctor's head shaking as he moved his hand away from his hair, aware that he hadn't tamed it too much. Smiling as she took a sip of her coffee, Leanne had to admit to herself that the untamed mess suited him in a completely different way to his usual smart appearance. "You working today?" she asked over the mug of coffee, not surprised when he nodded. It did surprise her, however, that she felt disappointed that he wouldn't be here.

"What will you do?" Neal asked, the brunette shrugging before finishing her coffee and putting it on the side.

"I might read a book, catch up on some tv," she suggested quietly, suddenly realising that she had no actual plans for the day. She hadn't even considered how empty her days would be now. While she had been at the hospital she had regularly interacted with the other doctors and nurses, it hadn't felt real. Now that she had been discharged, she had time to herself, time that she had never had before. She had no children to run around after, a husband to talk to or joke with, a job to dedicate herself to.

"Leanne," Neal said quietly, seeing the change in her expression when she unconsciously glanced down at her wedding ring. "Leanne," he repeated, moving closer to her before resting his coffee on the side beside hers and taking hold of her hand.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she admitted sadly, surprising herself when she moved to rest her forehead against his chest, his arms moving to wrap around her body. "What do I do?" she asked quietly against his pyjama shirt. "I'm a mother with no children, a wife with no husband and a doctor with no patients. I'm nothing," she whispered, aware that she was close to crying. Everything that she had ever been had been taken away from her. Her entire family destroyed, her job physically impossible because of the casts on her legs, imprisoning her in a wheelchair.

"You are never going to be nothing Leanne," Neal said quickly, tightening his hold of her as she remained still in his arms. "I can't even pretend to understand what you're feeling but you will get through this and you will find out who you are after all this," he declared, not knowing what else to say. He hadn't lost his entire family in a life destroying accident, he couldn't possibly imagine how she felt. "And you will always be a wife and a mother, no matter what," Neal whispered, aware that she had started to sob silently into his shirt. He didn't want to acknowledge her tears, aware that she had been desperately trying to keep herself calm. "I could try and get out of today's shift," he said quietly, her head shaking before she moved away from him and looked up, her fingers brushing the stray tears away.

"I didn't just hear you say that Neal," she warned, unable to stop herself from smiling as he laughed and nodded. "I'll be fine, I'll read a book and get some sleep," she admitted, trying to convince herself that she would be okay. She was old enough to be able to stay in an apartment on her own and entertain herself, she didn't need to worry him. "You better go and get ready, I'm not going to be your excuse for being late," Leanne suddenly stated, desperately trying to change the topic as he nodded and stood up.

"Can I help you?" he asked quietly, glancing across at the wheelchair while Leanne shook her head.

"I need to do this myself now," she admitted. She wasn't going to force him to look after her the entire time she was staying with him. He had enough patients at work without having one at his home as well. "Go and get dressed Neal, I'm not going to be your excuse for being late," she smiled, the doctor nodding before he stepped towards the door, watching her as she pulled the blanket away from her cast covered legs.

"Are you sure I can't…" he began.

"Neal," she warned, Neal laughing as he held his hands up and walked out of the room, unable to stop himself from smiling. Shaking her head at Neal, Leanne shuffled herself across the bed before pulling the wheelchair closer to the bed, a small groan leaving her lips when she overstretched. Part of her wanted to admit defeat and call out for Neal's assistance but she knew that she needed to start doing things without his help. She wasn't going to be stuck in bed all day like she had been while in hospital. She wanted to start attempting to rebuild what was left of her life. Pulling herself into the wheelchair, Leanne groaned when she knocked her casted legs, a small breath leaving her lips when she relaxed back. She could do this. She was going to do this.

Placing her hands on the wheels of the chair, Leanne breathed out before looking across at the open door. Wheeling herself out of the room, Leanne laughed gently at the sound of the shower running and the sound of Neal singing, although the words weren't clear underneath the sound of the water. Shaking her head happily, Leanne continued to make her way around the apartment, stopping when she reached a photograph beside the couch. She couldn't help but smile at the photograph of a young Neal, he could only have been about five or six, dressed up as a doctor with the biggest grin covering his face.

"I've always wanted to be a doctor," Neal stated, drawing her attention away from the photograph as she turned to see him standing in the doorway to the room. His hair was still damp from the shower and he had thrown on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "I was always pretending to be one. Never went as anything else to a fancy-dress party," he smiled, moving towards her as she nodded.

"I was the exact same," Leanne admitted quietly. "Always wanted to be a doctor, always wanted to save people. I probably have an identical photograph somewhere at home," she whispered. Sitting down on the couch, Neal glanced across at the photograph of himself before looking up at the brunette. He could see the sadness in her eyes. The feeling of being lost. Reaching across, Neal took hold of her hand before squeezing it gently, not surprised when her eyes locked with his. What could he possibly say to comfort her? "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked. He'd done nothing. He felt that everything he had tried to do to support her wasn't enough, that he couldn't do anything that would help.

"For just being here."

CODE BLACK- CODE BLACK

"Guess who," a voice laughed gently as hands moved to cover Neal's eyes, a large smile covering his face as he chuckled gently and turned to face his attacker. Smiling down at Grace as her arms wrapped around his neck, Neal gently kissed her before resting his forehead against hers. "Remember me? My name is Grace, your girlfriend," she smiled as Neal nodded.

"Hello Grace, I'm Neal your rather awful partner," he responded, unable to stop himself from smiling as she shook her head and glanced up at him. "I meant to call you last night but things were a bit hectic," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I haven't got any plans after my shift, we could get a take away, go back to yours and perhaps watch a film," she suggested, a smile decorating her face as he sighed and shook his head. "Why not? It'll be fun," Grace smiled, her hands moving from the back of his neck before she stepped way. "And we need to discuss Haiti."

"I know we do Grace but I'm not free this evening," Neal admitted, falling silent when Grace crossed her arms and looked at him. "Leanne's staying at my apartment," he said quietly, not surprised when Grace groaned in frustration and walked out of the locker room. "Grace," he called out, following her out of the locker room and down at the corridor. "Grace will you stop for a second?" he asked, surprised when she did stop and turned to face him.

"Why is she staying with you?" Grace questioned when he reached her. "I understand you driving her to the funeral and visiting her while she was in hospital, I just don't understand why you've moved her into your home," she declared, her head shaking as she glared at him.

"She's my friend," Neal responded quietly.

"She was our residency director, she's our colleague but you've never been really friendly outside of this place Neal. Why isn't she staying with Jesse? He's a closer friend to her than you are," Grace asked, his head shaking at her before he smiled weakly.

"Jesse's apartment wasn't appropriate and I have the space," Neal shrugged. "And it doesn't matter whether she was only my residency director before all of this, I count her as a close friend now and she needed somewhere to stay yesterday. I have the space Grace, I wasn't going to see her struggle unnecessarily when I have a room for her," he declared passionately, looking across at the woman as she shook her head at him.

"So you're spending the evening with her then," Grace commented angrily.

"For god's sake Grace, what do you think's going to happen?" Neal asked, his arms crossing over his chest as he started at her. "She's staying in my spare bedroom, she's just lost her entire family, what on earth do you think is going to happen tonight?" he questioned, her head shaking as she stared at him. "Grace, you might have forgotten but you are my girlfriend. Do you seriously think I'd do something with another woman, a woman who has just lost her entire family, while I'm dating you?" he questioned, his frustration growing as she shrugged, remaining silent when Jesse suddenly approached them.

"Come on you two, we're in code black," the nurse called out, Neal not surprised when Grace immediately stormed off to work. "You haven't forgotten dinner plans again?" Jesse asked when he reached the doctor, not surprised when Neal shook his head and sighed. "What's happened this time?"

"Leanne moving in happened," Neal groaned in frustration before walking down the corridor, Jesse walking beside him as he shook his head. "Sometimes I don't understand women," Neal sighed while Jesse laughed gently and nodded.

"I agree, you don't understand women Neal," Jesse smirked, stopping when Neal turned to look at him. "You've missed dinner, not been taking her calls and then she finds out that you have another woman living with you, a woman who is not a particularly unattractive either," Jesse commented, a small groan leaving Neal's lips as Jesse nodded. "You can't blame her for being angry with you, and I imagine slightly jealous of Leanne too."

"I'm an idiot," Neal commented.

"Yes you are Neal, but you're looking after my best friend wonderfully," Jesse smiled, Neal's head shaking. "Look why don't I visit Leanne one evening this week? You could take Grace out and you wouldn't need to worry about Leanne being on her own," Jesse offered as a smile covered Neal's face. He knew that Leanne would like to see Jesse and he didn't want to leave her alone all day, especially when she was restricted to the apartment.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Jesse," Neal smiled.

"You'd be in a lot more trouble with your girlfriend for a start, now get to work."

CODE BLACK-CODE BLACK

Unlocking the door to his apartment, Neal sighed as he placed the keys on the nearby cabinet before running his fingers through his hair and breathing out. The entire shift had been in code black and with Grace refusing to talk to him he had felt himself getting more stressed. Pulling his jacket off and hanging it up, Neal slowly moved towards his living room, a small smile decorating his face when he saw Leanne asleep on the couch.

"Leanne," he said quietly, moving towards her before kneeling beside the sleeping woman, his fingers reaching out to brush hair away from her face. "Hey sleepy head," he smiled when her eyes opened, a small smile decorating her face when she looked at him. "What are you doing sleeping on the couch? The spare bed was the whole point of you staying with me and not Jesse," he laughed as she groaned. She hadn't meant to fall asleep on the couch. She had sat down to read a book and she could see it, fallen open on the floor, but must have fallen asleep soon after starting it.

"How was work today?" she asked quietly, sitting up as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Code black the entire time, I don't think I had a coffee the whole shift. None of us stopped, absolutely crazy," Neal admitted, yawning as he stood up. "You're not spending the night on the couch, time for bed for both of us I think," he declared, the brunette nodding before she glanced across at the wheelchair. "I don't know about you but I can't be bothered with that chair this evening," Neal admitted, a nervous smile decorating her face as she nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck when he leant down. "Ready?"

"Ready," she repeated, unable to stop herself from smiling when he lifted her off the couch. "How's Grace?" she asked quietly, her head resting slightly into his shoulder while he approached the spare bedroom and opened the door with his foot.

"She's fine, I didn't really get to talk to her much, it was so busy," Neal admitted, not wanting to tell her that Grace was furious with him because Leanne was staying in the apartment. "I'm taking her for dinner later in the week," he said quietly, resting Leanne gently on the bed before she relaxed back against the pillows. He had found the opportunity to ask Grace out for dinner near the end of their shift and she had agreed reluctantly, although he could tell that she was still furious and knew that she would be using their dinner to discuss their argument further.

"That'll be nice, you both deserve a good night out," Leanne smiled, her hand taking his before she squeezed it gently. "Let me guess, you've invited Jesse over that night to babysit me while you're out," she commented.

"He wanted to come over and see you and he wouldn't be babysitting you Leanne, I'm not babysitting you either," Neal explained, the brunette squeezing his hand again before letting it go and relaxing. "This is your home for as long as you need it."

"I know it is and I'm really grateful," Leanne admitted, her head shaking when Neal began to yawn again. "Go to bed Neal, you're exhausted."

"Yes," Neal admitted, his fingers running through his hair again before he stepped away from her. "Good night sleepy head," Neal smiled at her, a laugh leaving her lips before she watched him move towards the door.

"Good night Neal."

 **Thank you very much for reading and please leave a review, I'd love to hear what you think. This isn't one of my favourite chapters but hopefully you enjoy it. I have a lot of Neal/Leanne planned for future chapters.**

 **I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible.**


End file.
